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Robby Krieger
Robert Alan "Robby" Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American rock guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as the guitarist in the Doors. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the band's songs, including the hits "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me", and "Love Her Madly". After the Doors disbanded, Krieger continued his performing and recording career with other musicians including former Doors band mate Ray Manzarek. He is listed multiple times by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.12 Early life and education Robert Alan Krieger was born in Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family.3 His first exposure to music was mostly classical, as his father was a big fan of marching music, until he heard Peter and the Wolf, which was the first music that really caught him. When he was seven, Krieger accidentally broke his record player, but the radio began to reach his ears playing the likes of Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, and the Platters. At the age of 10, he tried the trumpet, but found it was not for him. He began playing the blues on his parents' piano with much more success than the trumpet. While Krieger was attending a private school, Menlo School in Menlo Park, California, as a boarding student, there was study time at night that allowed him to teach himself to play the guitar. He began by learning flamenco, by first de-tuning a Ukelele to the bottom four strings of a guitar and mimicking a record he had. Later, during a Christmas break, he and two classmates took a vacation to Puerto Vallarta where he purchased a peg-tuned Juan Ramierez P. guitar and took lessons for a few months. He bounced around genres, including flamenco, folk, blues, and jazz and played in a jug band—The Back Bay Chamber Pot Terriers—at Menlo. After high school, Krieger attended the University of California, Santa Barbara.45 Krieger listed guitarists Wes Montgomery, Albert King, and Larry Carlton among the biggest influences on his style.6 Krieger's flamenco guitar playing can be found present in the song "Spanish Caravan." The Doors Krieger was a member of the Doors along with keyboard player Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore and vocalist Jim Morrison. At an early Doors rehearsal Morrison heard Krieger playing bottleneck guitar and initially wanted the technique featured on every song on the first album.7 Krieger's fingerstyle approach to the electric guitar, broad musical tastes, and songwriting helped establish the Doors as a successful rock band in the 1960s.needed Krieger occasionally sang for the Doors. His only singing with the early Doors can be heard on the album The Soft Parade, on the song "Runnin' Blue." He also sang on the last two Doors albums, recorded after Morrison's death, Other Voices and Full Circle. After Morrison’s death in 1971, Krieger, Manzarek and Densmore carried on as a trio. They released two more albums as the Doors before calling it quits in 1973, though they did reconvene a few years later to create music for poetry that Morrison had recorded shortly before his death, released as the 1978 album An American Prayer. Later career After the Doors disbanded in 1973, Krieger formed the Butts Band with Densmore. He enjoyed some success as a jazz-fusion guitarist, recording a handful of albums in the 1970s and 1980s, including Versions (1982), Robby Krieger (1985), and No Habla (1989). For his first solo release in 1977, Robbie Krieger & Friends, Krieger worked with rock artist Jim Evans to create a painting that became the album package.needed In 1982, Krieger made an album with the Los Angeles group Acid Casualties. Their album, Panic Station, was released by Rhino Records and included a new version of the rare 1968 Pink Floyd single "Point Me at the Sky." In the early 90s, Krieger formed a trio called the 'Robby Krieger Organization' featuring Skip Van Winkle (electric organ,organ pedal bass) and Dale Alexander (drums, backing vocals).needed In 1996, Krieger formed a new band simply known as the Robby Krieger Band, which featured his son Waylon Krieger (guitar), Berry Oakley Jr. (bass, backing vocals), Dale Alexander (keyboards) and Ray Mehlbaum (drums).needed The band performed shows in North America and Europe between 1996 and 1998.needed In 2000, Krieger released Cinematix, an entirely instrumental fusion album, with guest appearances from Billy Cobham and Edgar Winter. Krieger and Manzarek reformed as the "Doors of the 21st Century" in 2002 with vocalist Ian Astbury of the Cult.needed (Astbury had also performed a solo cover of "Touch Me" and a cover of "Wild Child" with the Cult on the tribute album Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors). Following a dispute with Densmore over the Doors name, the band then became known as "Riders On The Storm", "Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of the Doors" and, finally, "Manzarek–Krieger".needed For a brief period, the reformed band also included Police drummer Stewart Copeland.needed Krieger played guitar on a few tracks by Blue Öyster Cult and has worked on a number of tribute projects organized by Billy Sherwood.needed Krieger has made some guest appearances with the band Particle and appears on the album Transformations Live.needed In June 2008, ZYX Studio released his concert with Eric Burdon, called Live at the Ventura Beach California. They also played "Back Door Man" and "Roadhouse Blues". In April 2009, Krieger and Ray Manzarek appeared as special guests for Daryl Hall's monthly concert webcast Live From Daryl's House.needed They performed several Doors tunes ("People Are Strange", "The Crystal Ship", "Roadhouse Blues" and "Break On Through"), with Hall providing lead vocals. Krieger has participated in the "Experience Hendrix" series of concerts, joining a number of high-profile guitar players paying tribute to the musicianship and songwriting of Jimi Hendrix.needed In May 2012, Robby Krieger toured with the Roadhouse Rebels, a trio side-project consisting of founding members Particle's (and Rich Robinson's keyboardist) Steve Molitz (hammond organ, keyboards) and Oingo Boingo/Mutaytor's John Avila (bass), only this time with two additional musicians, the Black Crowes's Rich Robinson (guitar/vocals) and Rich Robinson's drummer Joe Magistro. The shows' setlists featured a range of material, including Doors standards, classic soul and rock 'n' roll covers from the '60s and '70s and material from Robinson's new Through a Crooked Sun album. The group performed on May 25, 2012 in Los Angeles, on May 26, 2012 at The Bella Fiore Music Festival at Harmony Park Music Garden in Clarks Grove, Minnesota, and on May 27, 2012 at The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado.8 Krieger is featured on the Fuel album Puppet Strings. On December 31, 2013, Krieger supported Southern rock band Gov't Mule at the Beacon Theatre (New York City). Guitars used Robby used a variety of guitars during his time with the Doors. 1 1964 Gibson SG Special 1958 National 'Town & Country' (Model 1104) 1967 Gibson SG Special 1968 Gibson SG Standard 1954 Gibson Les Paul Custom ('Black Beauty') Black Gibson SG Standard Discography The Doors Main article: The Doors discography Butts Band Butts Band (1974) Hear and Now (1975) Solo Robby Krieger & Friends (1977) Versions (1982) Robby Krieger (1985) No Habla (1989) Door Jams (1989) Cinematix (2000) Singularity (2010) With Poet Michael C. Ford Look Each Other in The Ears. Hen House Studio Album includes The Doors--Robbie Krieger, John Densmore, and Ray Manzarek. 2014 References 1.Jump up ^ "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 18, 2003. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2015. 2.Jump up ^ "100 Greatest Guitarists". Rolling Stone. November 23, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2015. 3.Jump up ^ "Robby Krieger Interview: The Doors, Gibson guitars and Jim Morrison". Guitar International Group, LLC. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 4.Jump up ^ The Official John Densmore Forum > The Lore Of The Doors. Forum.johndensmore.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-06. 5.Jump up ^ James Riordan, Jerry Prochnicky Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison, 1992, ISBN 0-688-11915-8 6.Jump up ^ Medeiros, Jotabê (2012-10-31). "Guitarrista dos Doors fala sobre show inédito da banda que sai em DVD". O Estado de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2012-11-18. 7.Jump up ^ Robby Krieger, an interview of Ray Manzarek (@40") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQUbqHbwT64 8.Jump up ^ www.jambands.com / Latest news / Archive / Article "The Roadhouse Rebels: Krieger, Molitz, Robinson and More" - Published: March 2, 2012 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robby Krieger. Wikiquote has quotations related to: Robby Krieger Official website Official website Robby Krieger interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969) Category:1946 births Category:Lead guitarists Category:American expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:American rock guitarists Category:The Doors members Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Songwriters from California Category:Musicians from Los Angeles, California Category:University of California, Santa Barbara alumni Category:University High School (Los Angeles, California) alumni Category:Jewish musicians